- VW Set to End the Reign of Embattled Audi Chief – WSJ: Volkswagen is expected to announce as soon as today that they are terminating the contract of Rupert Stadler, the chief executive of Audi, who has been in jail for months in connection with the diesel emissions-cheating scandal.
- Tesla board should thank Musk and then ask him to exit his role, says former GM exec Bob Lutz – CNBC: on Friday. “The company is one disastrous mess,” Lutz said in a “Squawk Box” interview.
- Lotus reveals plans for overhauled Hethel HQ – Autocar: The renovation is a clear sign of investment by Lotus’s new owner, Geely; the Chinese giant took control of the British brand in mid-2017. Geely plans to invest £1.5 billion in the brand, with a view to pushing Lotus into a league closer to Porsche in …
Archives for September 2018
Friday Morning Auto News, Sep 28, 2018
September 28, 2018 By
Thursday Morning Auto News, Sep 27, 2018
September 27, 2018 By
- Singapore’s Grab in talks to sell Thai unit stake to Central Group – Reuters: Singapore-based ride-hailing firm Grab is in talks to sell “a decent-sized stake” in its Thai business to Thailand’s largest retailer, Central Group, people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
- Uber, Cabify drivers strike in Madrid to protest against planned law changes – Reuters: Thousands of drivers for ride-hailing services Uber and Cabify, waving flags and chanting slogans such as “we want to work”, marched down Madrid’s central boulevard on Thursday ahead of plans by the government to tighten regulation.
- ‘Things don’t look too bad now, but hold onto your hats’ – Experts debate data – Guardian: The imposition of a three-day week by Jaguar Land Rover and the indications by BMW Mini that they will shutter their factories if a hard Brexit occurs …
- 2019 Honda CR-V hybrid: diesel-rivalling CO2, economy figures released – Autocar: The new CR-V gets a hybrid variant for the first time, and Honda promises better ride quality across the line-up The hybrid version of the fifth-generation Honda CR-V, achieves 120g/km and 53.3mpg for the front-wheel drive model, and 126g/km and…
World’s Largest Automakers, August 2018: Volkswagen has the mostest. Alliance in hot pursuit
September 27, 2018 By
The results of the August lap of the race of the world’s biggest OEMs are in, and it’s trading places again. Volkswagen Group overtook the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance in the YTD rankings. Don’t get used to it: Next year, and possibly in all of Q4, Volkswagen could be edged-out by the Franco-Japanese car-conglomerate.
Volkswagen Group took the lead mainly due to a massive sales push in Europe, where deliveries rose a massive 21% in a month that usually isn’t prime selling season in the Old Country. Reason for the sudden jump: Volkswagen, along with many other OEMs, pushed anything with 4 wheels into the market before the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) came into effect on September 1. A good chunk of these cars, while “registered,” is likely sitting somewhere “unsold.” See note below. [ There is more … ]
Nissan’s nothingburger scandal
September 26, 2018 By
Outrage! Nakai-san (left) doesn’t bow the full 70 degrees! (c) Bertel Schmitt
I am just coming home from a most bewildering press conference. There are 253 cars out there, I was told today, where the horn may be a tad louder, or the body a millimeter wider than what’s in the catalogue. I had to go all the way to Yokohama to hear this. Europe is in the grips of wholesale dieselgate-cheating. America’s smallest carmaker with the biggest share of voice, Tesla, makes cars so bad that there are hit parades of problems with its Model 3. Not to be left out, Japan created its own problem, and it seems to be Nissan, the people who’s press conference I visited this afternoon. The weather was O.K. when I left, but heaven cried when I went home.
Today, three dour-looking gentlemen, dressed in the internationally accepted uniform of undertakers, presented to the media Nissan’s “Report to the Japanese Ministry of Land and Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on misconduct in sample testing within the final vehicle inspection process at plants in Japan.” In the interest of not wasting your time more than absolutely necessary, let’s just state that unless someone is messing up real bad real soon, good old Japan is in imminent danger of being left behind as far as industrial-strength misconduct goes. [ There is more … ]
Wednesday Morning Auto News, Sep 26, 2018
September 26, 2018 By
- Breakingviews – Daimler’s new CEO to drive without steering wheel – Reuters: Breakingviews) – Daimler is doing its best to reverse out of a tight corner as it switches chief executives. The risk is that its well-intentioned manoeuvre will leave the new boss driving without a … Swede Ola Kaellenius, who is …
- Nissan blames latest improper emissions, mileage tests on ‘low awareness’ of Japanese rules – Automotive News: The Nissan case is the latest incident of data tampering that has tarnished Japan’s manufacturing industry and its reputation for high-quality, efficient production.
- Ford CEO Says Metals Tariffs Took About $1 Billion From Profits – Bloomberg: Daybreak: Americas” at the …
- Tesla Is Offering Customers Incentives in an End-of-Quarter Push – Yahoo: Tesla Inc. is offering incentives and tapping an army of brand-loving volunteers in a frantic push to boost sales and deliveries before the end of the quarter. If the final days of the second quarter were all about trying to prove to investors that …
Tuesday Morning Auto News, Sep 25, 2018
September 25, 2018 By
- Citroen names Pierre Leclercq as new head of design – Autocar: Former Kia design director Leclercq replaces Alexandre Malval, who is moving to head Mercedes-Benz’s design studio in Nice Citroën has announced that former Kia design director Pierre Leclercq will join the brand from November as its new head of…
- Germany to hold diesel summit on Friday – govt sources – Reuters: There will be another high-level diesel summit in the German chancellery on Friday, two government sources said on Tuesday, as the transport minister said his top priority was to ensure that diesel owners can swap their old vehicles for cleaner ones.
- Tesla building car carrier trailers amid delivery logistics hell – Autocar: Tesla”s “production hell” has turned into “delivery logistics hell” as the brand gets on top of building cars but struggles do deliver them Tesla boss Elon Musk has announced that the company has built its own car transporter trailers amid its…
- Germany’s Merkel says EU battery cell production “extremely important” – Reuters: It is “extremely important” that the European Union develop its own battery cell production to secure its role in the automotive industry as it shifts to electric mobility, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
Monday Morning Auto News, Sep 24, 2018
September 24, 2018 By
- Toyota reportedly agrees to add Android Auto to vehicles – Automotive News: Toyota agreed to add Android Auto to its vehicles, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, ending years of resistance to the Google infotainment software because of safety and security concerns.
- California urges Trump administration to abandon mpg plan – Automotive News: California’s top air regulator urged the Trump administration to abandon a plan to freeze fuel efficiency standards through 2026, as automakers urged state and federal regulators to reach agreement to extend nationwide rules.
- Chinese brand Chery opens European facility – Autocar: New Frankfurt-based design and development centre signals brand”s aim to conquer Europe, where other Chinese brands have so far struggled Chinese brand Chery Auto has opened its first facility in Europe, with a design and development centre near…
- Tesla made a big deal out of its Solar Roof in 2016, but two years later it has barely shipped any – CNBC: Elon Musk unveiled prototypes of Tesla’s Solar Roof tiles In October 2016. They came in four styles that looked just like normal roofing material but were essentially miniaturized versions of traditional solar panels. The announcement helped Tesla …
That’s going to hurt: Impending hardware refit of diesel cars will cost billions
September 21, 2018 By
Picture courtesy Manager Magazin
Germany’s and Europe’s carmakers are casting timid glances in the direction of Germany’s capital Berlin, where a possibly extremely costly decision is imminent. This Sunday, the German government is expected to decide what to do with the millions of NOX-emitting diesel cars on the country’s roads. According to Der Spiegel, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel wants a hardware solution, and that could cost many billions.
Ever since the dieselgate scandal became public, European automakers tried everything to avoid a solution that makes older diesel cars come clean. The reasons are money, and the monstrous amounts of diesel cars in Europe. Approximately half of Europe’s cars used to be diesel-powered before the scandal lowered the appetite for driving on oil. The atrocious problem is the huge amount of vehicles already on the road in Europe, and there are around 250 million of them.
